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Welcome to the "Watch out" page!
Disclaimer:
This page keeps you informed about some interesting topics and safety issues in the PG world. The information is being collected mostly from discussion groups and presented "as it is". Don't regard it as official. Please, verify any information from other sources before taking any actions.
11.10.10
02.09.08 19.08.08 19.07.08 From Paraglidng Forum: We've been seeing a large number of Peak and IcePeak line problems at our site lately. The problem isn't catastrophic, but there were 8 nearly identical instances. Specifically, brake lines are unsheathing, stabilo lines are wearing, and in two cases, breaking. 09.06.08 Manufacturer’s Safety Notice 03.06.08 Forum: Safety and Incidents in flight Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 2:21 am Subject: RE: Forgetting to Strap In: Survival Strategies |
| Very sad news from a friend of mine who did a SIV training this week-end. Another student of the SIV clinic (not my friend) forgot to attach the leg straps at launch. He flew above the lake, hoping to hold lon enough but fell from 200m height and died. Be carefull especially when you know you are stressed (new tricks learning etc ...) |
01.05.08
Problems with reserve extractors in Supair harnesses:
http://www.paraglidingforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=17675
12.03.08
Structural integrity issue with some Apco gliders: http://www.paraglidingforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=104533&highlight=&sid=26354e8d7596e43cf8a902a808d690a2#104533
08/09/07
New safety notes on the DHV website:
Paratech
On brake handles of type Paratech <Evolution> the brake swivels on a number of
Paratech gliders have sharp edges in the drilled holes. This can cause wear on
the brake loop.
This concerns the following models delivered after 1st of May 2007:
Paratech PBi5 M DHV GS-01-1363-05,
Paratech PBi5 S DHV GS-01-1408-05,
Paratech P44 XS DHV GS-01-1490-06,
Paratech P44 SM DHV GS-01-1491-06,
Paratech P44 ML DHV GS-01-1492-06,
Paratech P44 L DHV GS-01-1493-06,
Paratech P27 XS DHV GS-01-1651-07,
Paratech P27 SM DHV GS-01-1652-07,
Paratech P27 ML DHV GS-01-1653-07,
Paratech P27 L DHV GS-01-1654-07.
If wear is visible, the handle should be changed right away. If no wear is
visible, the handles can be used until a replacement pair is obtained. They
should however be checked before every flight.
Pilots can replace the brake handles themselves. Concerned pilots should contact
Paratech.
Gradient
On all Gradient paragliders, the mallions connecting line to risers are not
secured with thread glue or similar. Due to this, it is possible that the
mallions may loosen or open during usage.
In agreement with the DHV, the general importer Turnpoint GmbH has issued the
following safety advisory:
All mallions connecting lines to risers on Gradient paragliders must be checked
to ensure they are correctly closed before the next flight. Loose mallions may
be hand-tightened by using a spanner or pair of pliers.
More info:
DHV Equipment Database
Forum: Safety and Incidents in flight Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 5:43 pm Subject:
Airworthiness advisory - Paraglider Nova Ra M
From DHV webpage :
http://www.dhv.de/DHVonlineDB/source/technicdatareportnotes.php?lang=EN&templatesetid=-1&su...
Airworthiness advisory
Paraglider Nova Ra M DHV GS-01-1571-06
During check flights conducted by the DHV on 16th June 2007, irregularities in
the flight characteristics of a Nova RA M were revealed that are not present in
the DHV test example of this paraglider. It has been determined that incorrect
trimming of the paraglider with incorrect line lengths are the reason for this
behavior. A check of production data for the RA made by Nova has shown that
several paragliders in this series, constructed between January and April 2007,
have been sold with incorrect trimming, not as set in the DHV test example. The
serial numbers of these gliders are:
35395, 35359, 35406, 35356, 35402, 35290, 35601, 35613, 35240, 35239, 35284,
35355, 35484, 35510, 35297, 35238, 35407, 35232, 35360, 35584, 35233, 35421,
35610, 35596, 35277, 35511, 35545, 35237, 35597, 35514, 35608, 35276, 35361,
35593, 35245, 35590, 35587, 35639, 35282, 35423, 35542, 35540, 35422, 35549,
35452, 35242, 35405, 35585, 35358, 35539, 35615, 35546, 35673, 35228, 35244,
35353, 35646, 35641, 35614, 35515, 35536, 35583, 35197, 35543, 35553, 35279,
35453, 35229, 35541, 35547, 35588, 35289, 35629, 35586, 35605, 35672, 35538,
35420, 35404, 35604, 35594, 35235, 35591, 35616, 35805, 35600, 35592, 35548,
35513, 35295, 35357, 35230, 35125, 35054, 35140, 35129, 35720, 35122, 35157,
35138, 35165, 35053, 35159, 35136, 35123, 35124, 35130
Nova have contacted the purchasers of the above canopies on 2nd May 2007, with
details on the necessity of a correction to the trimming. As it has become clear
that not all owners have either corrected the trimming differences, or been
contacted by Nova.
In agreement with Nova, the DHV has issued the following safety notice:
The above listed paragliders must have their trimming corrected before they may
be flown again. Some of the above paragliders may be corrected by their owners,
others must be returned to Nova. All owners of Nova RAs with the above listed
serial numbers should immediately contact Nova for details on their particular
paraglider. The above listed paragliders may not be flown until the trimming has
been corrected. Should the corrections contained in the safety notice issued by
Nova on 2nd May 2007 already have been applied, then these paragliders are not
referred to in this notice. Nova offer all owners of RA M paragliders a free
trimming check, which is independent of this safety notice.
Nova Vertriebs GmbH
Bernd-Höfel-Str. 14
A- 6020 Innsbruck
Phone: 0043-512-361340
Fax: 0043-512-361342
www.nova-wings.com
info@nova-wings.com
Gmund, 17.06.07
Klaus Tänzler
Managing Director, DHV
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Paragliding Forum 20.06.07:
Hi,
just to clarify a couple of points on re-testing:
the DHV completed a set of post tests about a year ago, where production gliders
were purchased anonymously, put through a full set of certification flight
tests, re-measured and checked for materials and construction details - in other
words the full certification program. The full results were publicised in the
DHV-Info magazine, where everyone could come to their own conclusions on which
manufacturer was doing the "best" job.
Internally, we were pleasantly surprised at the DHV on how closely all
manufacturers were keeping to the test-examples of their gliders: we were
expecting much larger differences, but this was not the case.
In some instances, minor differences were found in line lengths and construction
details when the production gliders were compared to the test examples kept by
the DHV, but in no cases were the changes relevant for the certification
classification - the flight tests were all positive. As a result, the
manufacturers of these gliders were notified (and in some cases shocked!) of the
changes, and documented them appropriately for the DHV.
In the case of the RA the story is a little different: here, one of the
employees of the DHV (an experienced pilot) changed from his Nova Tattoo to a
Nova RA this year, but had a found the wing was front stalling more often than
expected in rough air. The DHV were also contacted by another RA pilot (this
time an ex-constructor, also with plenty of experience), and decided to examine
the production wings. Whenever the DHV is contacted by pilots worried that
something is wrong with their glider, this information is taken very seriously
and often leads to re-checking or re-testing of production canopies. The flight
tests indicated something was wrong, so the next step was to check the geometry
of the canopy. Here the differences in trim were revealed. Nova were informed of
the findings and further extensive tests were conducted together with the Nova
test pilots to see what could be done about the problem. Of course it's a
difficult situation, the DHV doesn't want to put anyone out of business by
grounding paragliders and forcing re-calls, but the DHV does want to put pilots
first, and put their safety interests first. Together with Nova, an initial
Airworthiness Advisory was released, and Nova began trying to contact all the RA
pilots with details of what to do. Sadly, developments showed that not all
pilots were informed of the problems, so the DHV released a second advisory
(together with Nova) to try and help solve the problem. Tolerances:
Generally, the science of "aero-elastics" is still very incomplete, so
tolerances on one element of a paraglider (such as lines) may in some cases be
very relevant to flying characteristics, whereas with a different design where
perhaps the profile, leading edge tension, billow or a number of other factors
can compensate for this, it may not be critical at all.
The DHV works closely with manufacturers to set reasonable tolerance levels for
construction, but appreciates that a certain range is very necessary to produce
gliders which should be flyable over a number of years. For example: a new
glider is often trimmed somewhat faster than the optimum, as with usage, the A
and B lines which take most of the load, tend to stretch. It a play-off between
having a faster, newer glider or one which is initially trimmed correctly, and
after usage begins to get slower and stall more easily. The two year check to
retain certification is an important instrument for regulating this, in an ideal
world everyone will check their glider, and every check would reveal the
differences in trim.
Cheers,
Peter
DHV-Technical dept.
A problem concerning Sup Air harnesses with a carbon-fibber seat plate: the plate has sharp edges and tends to cut thru the structural webbing. More details here: www.supair.com/fr/content/communique_abrasion_gb.pdf
Also problems with reserve deployment in Ava Sport - Sprinter harness.
A serious accident in Bulgaria caused by a structural failure of Apco Lambada glider http://www.paraglidingforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=36055#36055 . Some more pictures and comments (in Bulgarian ;-)) here: http://paraplan.ru/forum/viewpost.php?p=208747 . One of the points to be noticed here: There is a certain way lines to be looped together. Doing it wrong may not pay off.
06.10.05
A number of problems concerning reserve containers in some harnesses has surfaced recently. DHV has issued safety notices banning or restricting use of certain types in Germany.
22.06.05
A top German pilot Norman Lausch was killed in an accident in Switzerland during a test flight a few days ago. During a spiral dive he got totally separated from the canopy at about 200m AGL. Reserve wasn't deployed.
aerodynamic
helmets
IP: 144.139.15.59
Posted on 16/3/2005 at 04:48:39 PM by Jiri
I've been leading quite a crusade against this type of helmets - the risk of a
neck injury grossly overweights the "aerodynamics" benefits (if there are any).
Last weekend at Corryong I was present to an accident, where this type of helmet
was likely to kill if involved. Look at the photos - you get goose bumps. The
"classic" type of helmet the pilot was wearing has cracked under the impact
(falling flat on his back after a low-height stall) but has done its job. The
guy suffered only a mild concussion. Now, imagine what would have happened to
his neck if he was wearing the type of helmet pictured on the right. YUCK!
Airworthiness advisory
Paraglider harness, harnesscarabiner Parafly Automatic from AustriAlpin
After several fractures of aluminium harnesscarabiner Parafly Automatic from AustriAlpin during use in 2003 and 2004, the manufacturer was asked
to prove fatigue strength against vibration. The last deadline was 1. March
2005. This proof has not been shown up today. Tests conducted in the order
of DHV to aluminium harnesscarabiner Parafly Automatic from AustriAlpin showed low values of fatigue strength against vibration.
The in flight safety is gravely affected. The DHV has decided on the
following precautionary safety measure: All harness carabiners Parafly Automatic by Austrialpin, must not be used any
more. The airworthiness instruction comes into effect with the publishing of the
NFGH (Paraglider and Hanglider news). Gmund,
09.03.2005
Klaus Tänzler
Managing Director
DHV Warning: Lines on all UP gliders
DHV warning: FreeX tow release
Another fatality due to open leg straps...
Another fatality after glider structural failure during acro
Another commercial tandem fatality in Oludenig
Structural failure of a paraglider
Another fatality involving undone leg straps...
Just in case you are wondering what happened to Firebird...
Date: May 17, 2004 10:55 AM
Author: Jérôme Daoust
Subject: Safety notice
Airbule harness with bottom reserve
Thanks to Gerard Florit (Para2000) for raising the issue. Translation I made ...
All equipment with reserve parachute under the seat board.
Airbulle harness "Powertop", "Tiptop", "Tandem", etc...
During test in a gymnasium on 2004/4/15 by the "Arcs en ciel de Voreppe" association, on reserve equippment, during a normal extraction force on the reserve, the link from the handle to the contained (Pod) broke.
A recent fatal accident seems linked to this issue.
Test the strength of your gear !
Contact your reseller or :
Airbulle
Z.A. l'atterrissage
38660 Lumbin -France
Tel. : +33/(0) 476.082.626
Fax : +33/(0) 476.082.959
E-mail : airbulle@parapente.fr
Web : http://www.parapente.fr/
HELMETS The ICARUS helmet in the first entry is not identical with Icaro Skyrunner being sold by us.
Big Ears and collapses discussion
Flying on the beach discussion
DHV Warning: Weakened lines
DHV : All gliders from Advance, Gin Gliders, Ozone, Paratech,
Flugsportservice Skyward, Sol, Swing, XIX
All Gliders from,
ADVANCE Thun AG,
Gin Gliders Inc.,
OZONE Gliders Ltd.,
Paratech AG,
Flugsportservice Skyward,
Sol Sports Ind. E Comèrico LTDA,
Swing Flugsportgeräte GmbH,
XIX GmbH.
At routine canopy re-examinations and the checking of canopies which have been involved in accidents, it has been observed that after ageing, the breaking strengths of Aramid lines in the upper galleries can diminish faster than the breaking strengths of the main lines.
As a preventative safety measure the following must be adhered to:
At re-examination sample Aramid lines from all galleries and the main lines must be subjected to breaking strength testing.
The following limits are to be used:
The total calculated strength (N) of all A & B lines using the worst case sample results, must not be less than 8 times the maximum certified take-off mass of the canopy (kg) the total calculated strengths for all other lines, must not be less than 6 times the maximum take-off mass. Additionally, the manufacturer must record the minimum breaking strength (N) of all line materials used.
These measures must be implemented at the next re-examination of a canopy.
ADVANCE Thun AG, Rolf Zeltner
Gin Gliders Inc., Gin Seok Song
OZONE Gliders Ltd., David Dagault
Paratech AG, Uwe Bernholz
Flugsportservice Skyward, Eugen Stiebritz
Sol Sports Ind. E Comèrico LTDA, Ary Pradi
Swing Flugsportgeräte GmbH, Guenther Woerl
XIX GmbH, Michi Kobler
DHV warning: Faulty harness.
There is information in German on the DHV website, but until the English version is available here is the Info from UP.
| Accident: USA: WA: Chelan: 1/5/2004 |
|
Airworthiness advisory |
Paraglider emergency parachute RS 2 DHV GS-02-0032-91 |
In an emergency equipment inner container of the type RS 2 while releasing the rescue chute by applying usual force on the handle, the loop where the release handle is fixed was ripped of. The reason for this rupture was a to weak performed seam of the release handle attachment loop. Picture: In agreement with Firebird Sky Sport AG, the DHV decided on the following safety measures as a precaution: 1. The inner container for all emergency equipment of the type RS 2
must be rechecked Gmund, 26.03.2004 |